Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff made his fourth NFL start against the Falcons last season and looked like a deer staring in highlights.
This season, Goff ranked in the top 10 starting quarterbacks in the NFL, according to analytics website Football Outsiders.
They evaulate quarterbacks according to a defense-adjusted yards-above-replacement (DYAR) measure, and Taylor has a 1.127 rating, which ranks eighth in the league. They also rank the quarterbacks according to the defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA), and Taylor has a 24 rating, which ranks sixth.
But last season against the Falcons, he telegraphed his passes, fumbled the ball and looked like he was generally unworthy of the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
In the 42-14 loss, Goff completed 24 of 41 passes for 235 yards and two interceptions.
But with a new coach and a revamped offensive line, Goff tossed 28 touchdowns passes against only seven interceptions while leading the Rams to an 11-5 record and the West Division title.
“It starts with the quarterback,” Falcons defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel said. “When you look at him, he’s done a tremendous job getting ready for the season. The pieces that they’ve added from tight ends all the way to (Robert Woods) outside and and Sammy (Watkins), they move the ball around. They even throw (Cooper) Kupp the ball a lot. They move the ball around. It’s collectively a unit.”
The Falcons harassed Goff last season. He was sacked twice and hit five times. He tossed two interceptions, including one to linebacker Deion Jones, who returned the ball 33 yards for a touchdown.
Vic Beasley had a sack-strip that he took 29 yards for a touchdown.
Watching tape while preparing for the playoff game, the Falcons see a totally different player.
“He’s been solid as far as getting them to this point,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “Leading them to this point. When he’s kind of comfortable in the pocket, he’s a lot better than when he’s on the run. He does a really good job managing the game and not making a lot of big mistakes.”
The Falcons ended the regular season with 39 sacks, which ranked 13th in the league. The Rams gave up only 28 sacks, which ranked eighth in the league.
“You just can’t let him sit back there all day,” Jarrett said. “We know it’s going to be important for us to be effective up front on the rush and as well to hold up on the back end to give us time to get there.”
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